


Anti-Valentine’s Day Ball

by saltymermaid



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-12
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 00:16:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5985910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltymermaid/pseuds/saltymermaid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Nino and Adrien overhear that Marinette and Alya have no plans for Valentine’s Day, they propose that the group throw an Anti-Valentine’s Day Ball. But can Marinette handle working so closely with her crush? And what is she supposed to make of these new feelings for Chat Noir? Find out as Marinette and Adrien both struggle to figure out what their hearts want!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Planning

**Author's Note:**

> This is my Valentine’s Day gift exchange for Tumblr user @insomniatasteslikecottoncandy! Surprise, I’m your secret cupid! I hope you enjoy! I’ll be releasing a chapter a day. The story is three chapters long, and the final chapter will be out on Valentine’s Day. Don’t worry, the first chapter is my far the longest. I used some scenes from The Evillustrator to help with flow and that dialogue is taken directly from the show. This fic includes all of the ships and some cavity inducing fluff. It was super fun writing this for you, and I hope you enjoy it! :)

15 DAYS UNTIL VALENTINE'S DAY

 

Ladybugs are known for being the patron of Lady Luck. They are said to bring luck and abundance wherever they may go, and that when they are about, magic is in the air.

The same can be said for Paris’ very special Ladybug, the city’s savior. The one whose bold black and red spots bring comfort to all, whose confidence exudes in every step, and the one who can make every gentleman swoon with a single smile.

The same could not exactly be said for the girl behind the mask, however. The sweet Marinette, whose soft greys and pinks tend to blend in with the crowd, whose steps are more clumsy than confident, and whose gentle smile fails to charm the only gentleman she has her eye on.

Adrien Agreste. Kind, intelligent, caring, literal supermodel Adrien Agreste. He was amazing, and, for the third year in a row, impossibly out of reach.

Even though he was, ironically, sitting right in front of her.

“Marinette,” her best friend’s voice called her out of her thoughts, “stop daydreaming, she’s collecting this at the end of class.”

“Why do we have to write this essay anyway,” Marinette groaned, slumping back in her seat. “For some of us, this is traumatizing!”

“Traumatizing?” Alya said, raising her eyebrows. “It’s an essay about your plans for Valentine’s Day.”

“Yes! Okay, I mean, no, not traumatizing _exactly,_ but pretty close!”

“Oh,” Alya’s voice raised a volume level, “you mean how you’re alone for Valentine’s Day for the-”

“Shush, shush, shush!” She practically leapt on top of her friend to silence her. “Alya!” Marinette hisses, drawing out the final “a” into a long sound of betrayal.

Alya simply laughed and shrugged Marinette away, “Don’t worry Marinette, I wasn’t going to say anything _too_ incriminating.” With a quick glance around them, Alya leaned nearer to her and whispered, “Ya know, if you just asked, he’d probably say yes.”

“But that requires talking.” Marinette said defeatedly. “The one thing I can’t seem to do around him.”

“Sometimes I wish you had the same problem around me,” Alya said with a chuckle. Marinette stuck out her tongue in response, and turned back to her essay.

“Psssst.”

Yet another voice drew her away from the task at hand.

“Psst! Mari!”

Marinette looked up to see a pair of honey colored eyes peering at her through thick black glasses frames.

“Did you say that you were free on Valentine’s Day?” Nino whispered.

“Yes she is,” Alya said, leaning forward into the conversation. “Why, thinking about asking her out?”

“Not quite,” he said with a grin, “though any guy would be lucky to have her, I’m sure.”

“Then what’s up?” Marinette said quickly, stopping Alya from making a certain witty comment.

“Did I overhear you and Alya say that you don't have plans for Valentine's Day?”

“Yeah, we're free.”

“Well, so are Adrien and I.” Nino’s companion turned at the mention of his name. “So I was thinking,” he continued, “if we're gonna be alone on Valentine's Day, we might as well be alone together!”

A grin overtook Alya's face. “Are you thinking what I'm thinking?”

“Anti-Valentine’s Day Party!” The two whispered in excited unison.

“Anti-Valentine’s Day Party?” Adrien echoed, a confused look on his face.

“Of course, buddy!” Nino’s hand fell on his friend’s shoulder. “What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with friends?”

“With a boyfriend?” Marinette said with a dry smile.

“Besides that,” He conceded.

“Just picture it!” Alya said with a dramatic spread of her hands, “a ballroom full of fellow single people, dancing the night away instead of being cooped up in their room. It would be the talk of the school!”

“I don’t know…” Marinette said quietly. “It seems like a lot to plan.”

“Just think, Marinette. Maybe you’ll meet your prince at the Anti-Valentine’s Day Ball.” Adrien’s smile dazzled her.

If only he knew.

“Eh, Mari is right, it _is_ quite a bit of planning.” Nino said with a shrug.

“We can do it.” Alya insisted. “I can handle invitations, Nino’s got music, Mari can talk to her parents about catering, and Adrien can do decorations.”

“Uh, Alya? I don’t have much of an eye for design.”

She dismissed his concerns with a wave of her hand. “Then I suppose Marinette will have to help you.”

Marinette made a series of indecipherable noises in response.

The group were startled by the voice of their teacher. “Essays are due in thirty minutes!” She said, looking purposefully at the four in the front of her room. “I hope you can get them finished.”

___

 

The bell rang, and the students began to break the floodgates of the classroom doors. Marinette was about to head out into the hall when a hand latched onto her wrist.

“Marinette, wait.”

She turned quickly to be greeted by brilliant green eyes and the most beautiful of smiles, and found herself speechless.

Marinette had always struggled to understand what it was about Adrien that made her jaw clamp shut and her joints become stiff. Sure, she had a massive crush on him, perhaps was even in love with him, but that was no true excuse for the nerves she always felt. Adrien was a sweet boy, he was always sure to be kind to her, and went out of his way to say hello to her. He made her feel valued and welcomed. So what was it about him that made her heart stop beating? She just couldn’t understand it.

Adrien couldn’t understand it either. He hated the fact that he intimidated the gentle girl. She had stood up to Chloé countless times, was never afraid to speak her mind, and had an intelligence that he could only dream of, yet she never seemed able to speak to him. Whatever the reason was, it made him feel horrible. He’d like to consider her a friend, but that doesn’t change the fact that she can hardly look into his eyes. What had he done to scare her away? Even now, as he held Marinette’s wrist in his hand, she was stiff, and he wasn’t certain she was breathing.

“Sorry for startling you!” Quickly, he released her and took a step back. “I only wanted to ask when you were free. So we could work on decorations.”

“Uh, I, um, I’m f-fine for...uh...”

He smiled softly as he tried to finish her sentence for her. “Tonight?”

How she wished she was free for tonight. Unfortunately, Chat was off tonight, leaving patrol all up to her.

“N-no, um, actually, I, well, I meant, uh, Saturday.”

Adrien went through his list of upcoming photo shoots in his head, delighted to find his mental calendar clear. “That sounds good. I could drop by the bakery around noon?”

Marinette attempted to form a response before settling for nodding her head.

“Great! See you then, Marinette!” His fingers fluttered at her as he walked away, and his smile melted her.

She was hopeless.

___

 

Ladybug soared from building to building, retracting her yoyo mid air and slinging it back out again mere seconds before she hit the ground.

She had long since accepted that she was destined to be the more responsible of the duo. Usually, she would chide Chat for being this reckless, and refuse to follow his example, lest both heroes be hurt. But Chat wasn’t here tonight, and she figured she had earned her fair share of fun.

Her delicate landing was coupled with an exhilarated giggle. Her cheeks stinging from the cold wind, she pressed her warm hands against her face, and felt the cool tingle seep through her gloves to her palms.

Patrol was nearly over, she had been through most of the city, and was relieved to find that all was calm. Now there was just one place to check, the place she always saved for last.

Adrien’s neighborhood.

During the day, she would never dare venture among the rich houses and fancy cars, but at night, Paris was hers, including the mansion. Quietly, she padded along their rooftops, scanning the pavement below her for any crooks or glowing purple butterflies. Finally, she reached her guilty pleasure home, and that’s when she heard it.

Screaming.

Adrien.

Her yoyo was out in a flash, hooked around a flagpole as she descended down the wall. With a thud, her feet hit the window where the screams came from. Carefully, she knocked on the window pane.

It opened at her touch, and she was startled to see the spread of a large bedroom before her.

After a moment of hesitation, Ladybug swung inside. The room she found herself in was even bigger than she had first thought, and the bed in the corner seemed to be dwarfed in comparison.

Against her better judgement, she padded over and lifted the blankets.

The green eyes she was met with took her breath away. Even startled, he was beautiful. His blonde hair was slightly disheveled, and she couldn’t quite tell if he was wearing a shirt.

She almost hoped he wasn’t.

“Ladybug?” He gasped. His hand shot out to the end table next to him, and he groaned as he heard something clatter to the floor.

Ladybug bent down and gingerly plucked the object from the floor. “Looking for these?”

He smiled gratefully as he placed the glasses on his nose. “T-thanks.”

For once, he was the one stammering.

His words poured out quickly with his apparent nerves. Oh how good it felt for the tables to be turned. “I, uh, what are you doing here? Not that you’re not welcome, it’s just-”

“I heard screaming,” Ladybug said, her voice steady, “and I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“Oh.” He sighed, running his fingers through his hair, unaware of how his movements were lighting her aflame. “That. I just, um, had a nightmare. I’m fine, really.”

“Oh.” She echoed. “Alright. Then goodnight, I suppose.” Her long legs closed the gap between her and the window. Three steps away, she stopped.

“Adr-uh, sir. Do you, I don’t know…” She sucked in a deep breath, and turned back towards him with a slight smile. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Adrien looked at her for a moment, his head cocked slightly to the side. After what seemed like an eternity, he scooted over on the bed, and looked at the now open space. “Th-that would be nice.”

 

14 DAYS UNTIL VALENTINE'S DAY

 

She had been there. She had sat, right there. He had looked at her sitting on his bed. _She sat on his bed._ She felt giddy at the recollection. She hadn’t managed to calm herself since she’d left. She’d left. She’d _been there_.

His nightmare was heartbreaking. Marinette never knew that her sweet, sweet Adrien felt so much pain. So she let him talk. She had the feeling no one had let him do that in a while. He spoke about his dream for nearly an hour, and despite the sadness she felt for him, she couldn’t stop smiling, because she was with him. And then, she _touched_ him. Her hand still tingled from where she had touched his bare skin.

 _His bare skin._ He had sat there, clad in nothing but boxers and his beautiful tan, pouring out his soul to her. To Ladybug, rather.

He would’ve never told the things he told to Ladybug to her. Marinette did not seem to have earned his trust in the same way Ladybug had, and she couldn’t quite explain why.

___

 

She had been there. She had sat, right there. He had looked at her sitting on his bed. _She sat on his bed._ His head was spinning, and his pulse was racing. He hadn’t slept a wink since she’d left. She’d left. She’d _been there_.

Ladybug was incredibly tolerant of his disjointed thoughts. She had let him jabber on about his nightmare, the one about his mother, and didn’t say a word until he was done. She let him talk for an hour straight while she sat there in silence, the smile on her beautiful face getting more and more pained as he continued talking. And then, she _touched_ him. His knee still tingled from where her gloved hand had touched his bare skin.

Granted, they had talked plenty of times as Ladybug and Chat Noir, but this was Ladybug and Adrien. This was him. The real him, sitting right there, talking with her, looking at her breathe, laugh, blink, without his mask in the way. She talked to the real him.

Did she like it?

His alarm went off, and Adrien turned it off immediately. There was no real need for it anyways. He hadn’t slept much.

Carefully, he wiggled himself out from under the covers, being sure to not to disturb the place she had sat.

A goofy grin settled onto his face as he stared at the indent she had made in his sheets.

“C’mon, Lover Boy.” Plagg whined, darting into his line of sight. “You have to go, you need to go meet Marinette, remember?”

“Right, right.”

In a blur of cardigans and converse, he was out the door.

His stupid smile was still fixed to his face as he made his way to the bakery, his hands jammed into the pockets of his black jeans. The closer he got to the Dupain-Cheng’s place of business, the more the air smelled like chocolate and sugar. His cheeks only spread wider as he considers purchasing some pastries for Ladybug. She’d love it, knowing her sweet tooth.

The bell on top of the door chimed as he walked in, and the delectable smell only intensified.

“ _Bonjour, madame!_ ” He greeted the pleasantly plump woman behind the counter.

 _“Bonjour,_ Adrien! _”_ She called back, wiping her hands from her apron as she pushed past the swinging door that led to behind the display case. “Go on up, Marinette is waiting on you.”

Just before his foot hit the steps, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng called his name once more. “Adrien! Would you like to bring some croissants up for you and Marinette to snack on? I’m sure she hasn’t had breakfast yet, she has an awful habit of forgetting to eat when she’s nervous.”

The word _nervous_ wiped the smile off his face. In his happy tizzy, had nearly forgotten how much he frightened Marinette. “Of course, _madame._ ”

Marinette’s door was open when he got upstairs, and he did a double take.

A slender girl with dark hair stood over a pink desk in the room, her back to him. She wore a red dress that hugged her tiny waist, with a black belt to accent it. The bottom trim of the dress was spotted with black, and her black fuzzy socks were dotted with red as well. She almost looked like...

“Ladybug?” He whispered.

Marinette gasped as she turned around to see him. Her small chest rose and fell as she struggled to breathe, and her pale hand flew up to her mouth, blue eyes wide. “Adrien,” she panted.

Heat creeped up his neck as he nervously scratched his head. He chided himself for not even being there for ten seconds before he startled her. “Sorry, Marinette!” He nearly stumbled over his words in his rush to get them out. “For a moment there, I thought, I mean, you almost looked like-”

“Ladybug?” She said the name quietly, as if afraid of her own words.

“Well, yes, but, that’s ridiculous.” Their eyes met. “Right?”

Marinette tore her gaze away. “Y-yes, of course.”

They stood there for a moment, both of their hearts racing, and neither of them quite sure why.

“You, um, c-can come in.” Marinette tried to smile, but it just looked strained.

“Uh, yes, of course. Your mother made us a snack, by the way.”

Marinette snorted. He had never heard her do that before.

He liked it.

“Of course she did. She probably knew I hadn’t eaten.” Her eyes unfocused as her expression shifted into one of confusion. “Wait, did I?”

Adrien’s laugh brought a pink stain to her cheeks. “One way or another, we have food now.”

“Right.” Her head ducked down as she sat down at her desk, careful to tuck her dress under her. “Uh, Adrien? Y-you can pull up a chair, ya know.” His eyes followed her thin finger pointing at the plush desk chair in the corner of the room.

“Yes, of course.” The all too familiar stammer was back in full swing.

Adrien walked over to the chair and sat down, opting to push himself along with his feet towards the desk rather than walk the chair over, promoting a small giggle from Marinette.

It was adorable.

“You think I’m funny, huh?”

She only blushed.

With a sigh, he looked over the contents of the desk. Everything seemed soft and welcoming and feminine, just like Marinette herself. His fingers traced along the spines of the books she kept in a small cubby, and he chuckled at the the smiling cat plushie on top.

“You like cats?” He asked, turning to look at her. She had been resting her face on her hand, watching him, it seemed, but she straightened up as soon as he met her eyes.

“Well, no, not really, b-but I have a friend who...well, let’s say he really, really likes cats.”

Her nose wrinkled when she smiled. Adrien had never noticed that.

How had he never noticed that?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he swiveled back to the little cranny on her desk. He stared at the books for a while, all leather bound and decorated with little swirls, as he tried to figure out what they were. They’re sketchbooks, it dawned on him, of course. He had seen Marinette doodle in class on countless occasions, it made sense that he would have a sketchbook collection.

“Marinette, may I?” He jerked a thumb towards the sketchbooks, and Marinette let out an inhuman squeak that took him aback.

“No!” She shouted, hands in the air. They sat there for a second, Adrien’s eyes wide open, confused by her sudden intensity. “I-I mean,” Marinette began pulling at her hair around her hair nervously, “th-those are really, uh, really bad. Here.” A pink notebook slides across the table and bumps into his arm, looking newer than the rest. “You can, um, look at this.”

As he looked through her work, she snuck anxious glances at him, trying desperately to decipher his unreadable expression.

After what seemed like an eternity, he looked up at her, his mouth forming a little ‘o’. “Marinette, these are...amazing!”

She felt her heart leap up into her throat. “Y-you...like them?”

“No, I don't like them.” Her heart came crashing down. “I love them!” And soaring back up.

“You...you do?”

The smile he gave her warmed her very soul. “Of course I do, Marinette! They're all beautiful, and brilliant.” He points to a dress sketched out on the page in front of him. “Is that what you're wearing now?”

“Oh, uh, yes. I design most of my clothes, actually.”

“Is that the full outfit?”

“Well, no, there's two more pieces. I was just trying the dress in when you came in.”

“May I see the whole look?”

Her eyes gleamed as she bounded over to a mannequin on the other side of her room. She put on a smart black blazer, and plucked up a plain plastic headband. “These aren't finished, clearly, I still need to add the spotted trim to the hemline and the cuffs, and probably to the inner lining, and I still need to cover the headband in red fabric, and maybe design some shoes, I'd have to custom order those, though, I can't make shoes. Oh, and fix the stitching here, it was supposed to be a cross stitch…”

Adrien leaned back in his chair, content to let Marinette continue talking about stitching and material for as long as she wanted. In fact, this is the longest he's ever heard her talk to him without stammering.

She had a beautiful voice.

“I-I’m sorry,” she cut herself off, the stutter returning as her nerves flooded back in. “I talked f-for, uh, way too long, right?”

“No, not at all. I like seeing you get excited. It's cute.”

He loved making her blush.

“W-well, anyways, that's my, um, current project.”

Adrien turned back to the sketchbook, and flipped through a few more pages when he saw something that took his breath away. “Marinette,” he said, shock in his voice, “did you design this?”

“Uh, well, yes. Is...is it bad?”

“Of course not! It's stunning, actually.” He held up the book to show her the piece she was looking at. On that page, she had sketched an enchanting necklace, fit for a princess. Fit for _his_ princess. It was beautiful due to its simplicity, in part, but also due to its elegance. The design included a silver chain with a ribbon woven between its links, and single dangling heart charm in the middle. “What is it for?”

“Um, actually, I'm selling them.” She looked up at him sheepishly. “I usually, uh, donate the clothes I make, but I needed some cash. My mother's birthday is coming up, so, uh, yeah.”

“Are they selling well?”

“Uh, yeah, actually. Alya’s dad got one for his girlfriend, and the mayor got one for Chloé, and Nino even got one for Alya.”

His brow furrowed at that. “Nino did?”

“Y-yeah. I sorta insisted he should go for it, and he didn't have to pay, so I just, ya know, did it for free. Didn't he, uh, tell you?”

He hadn't, actually. This new information bounced around on the walls of Adrien’s mind. How could Marinette have known something about his best friend that he hadn't?

“Adrien?”

He realized he hadn't spoken while he was digesting this information. “Sorry, Marinette.”

“I-it's fine.”

“Could I buy one?” He heard the words leave his lips before he could fully process them.

Her blue eyes were wide with surprise when she looked up at him. “What?”

“I'd like to buy one,” he repeated with more conviction, “I have an, er, friend that I think would like it. Is that alright? I know it's a bit short notice, but-”

“No.” Marinette cut him off, smiling at him with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, and a tone he couldn’t quite read, though it sounded oddly of disappointment. “No, I'll do it.” Her legs pushed off the floor as she rolled over to her computer monitor. She hit a few keys before turning back to him. “What color ribbon would you like, and what charm?”

His eyes closed as images of his lady flooded into his mind. What would she like? He filtered through various shades of blues and ivories as his mind's eye scanned her face. Finally, he settled on something simple he knew she would like. “How about a black ribbon with a ladybug charm?”

Marinette simply smiled and nodded as she hit a few more letters on her keyboard.

“You’re the best, Mari.”

She almost seemed to be shaking as she turned back to him. “M-Mari?”

The nickname had surprised him too. It simply felt natural as it flowed off his tongue. The intimacy of that name hit him all at once. He had only ever heard Alya and Nino call her that. “Is it too personal? I could just stick with Marinette, if you’d rather me do that.”

“No, not at all.” Mari offered him another one of her sweet smiles that made his chest tingle. “I like hearing you say it.”

___

 

“Did you know she smells like cinnamon and sugar, Nino? And her nose wrinkles when she smiles? And she let me call her Mari, did I tell you that? Can you imagine? And everything in her room is pink, and when I say everything, I mean everything. Oh, and-”

“Slow down there, buddy,” his friend chuckled from the other end of the phone line. “I’m glad you guys had fun, but did you actually get any planning done for the ball?”

“Oh, right. We got all of the plans made for the decorations, Mari has sketched out where she thinks they'd look good, and either I or both of us are going shopping next weekend.”

“Perfect. Alya's parents are letting us use their old turntable from college, so I'm all set for DJing, and she promised that invitations will be out by this Wednesday.”

“Aren't we just inviting our entire class?”

“See, that's what I said, but she insisted that paper invitations are cooler. Something about aesthetic?” Adrien could almost hear the shrug in Nino’s voice. “I mean, it's Alya. It's easier to just give in.”

Marinette’s words about Nino from earlier echo in his head. “About Alya…”

Nino sighed. “Did Mari tell you?”

“Yeah, she did. Why didn't _you_ tell me, Nino?”

“I wanted to, Adrien, I really did, it's just, well, you've been so distracted lately.”

“What?”

“Yeah, you've sorta been distancing yourself from me lately. I'm sure it wasn't intentional, friend, so don't mind, but I didn't want to trouble you with my lady troubles.”

“How have I been distancing myself from you?”

“Well,” his hesitation was evident, “just last week, you ditched me on Pizza Friday.” Adrien had instead spent the evening carefully scrutinizing the Ladyblog for any hint of his princess’ true identity. “Which is fine, but the Wednesday before that, you cancelled that sleepover we had been planning for weeks.” He had missed that to surprise Ladybug on her evening patrol. “Not to mention in class. You've been spacing out big time, man. Sometimes I don't even think you hear me when I talk.” A groan escaped him as he thought back through the week, and found himself struggling to remember a single conversation with Nino, yet every word Ladybug had said stuck out in perfect clarity. “I just figured you were distracted with Mari, and I didn't want to bog you down even more with talk about Alya.”

Adrien slumped back in his chair, horrified by what his friend was telling him. “Distracted with Mari?”

“Well, yeah. You do like her, don't you?”

All of the blood drained from his face. Nino thought he liked Marinette? Who else thought that? She was a sweet girl, to be sure, but they were just friends, he could never feel anything for her.

Right?

“Adrien?” Nino called him from the other end of the phone.

“Nino, no. I do _not_ like Marinette.”

“Really? Huh. Well who's the girl you keep doodling?”

“The girl?”

“Ya know, the girl with the pigtails and freckles you keep doodling on your papers?”

Ladybug. Ladybug wore pigtails, and had a light dusting of freckles on her nose that looked like their own galaxy. Nino had mistaken his bold and beautiful lady for quiet little Marinette. “It's another girl, Nino. Not Mari.”

“Oh.” After a few moments, Nino's warm chuckle rang through the phone. “Then you need to work on your art skills, friend.”

“Yeah,” Adrien laughed.

“But anyway, I just started talking to Mari about everything. You can talk to Marinette about anything, man. She’s there for everyone.” Nino’s voice grew soft. “Adrien, are you mad?”

“Not at all, friend. I feel bad, honestly. You can tell me anything, alright? You’re my best friend, Nino. I want to know what’s going on in your head, no matter how stressed I may seem.”

“Thanks, Adrien. That means a lot.”

“Anytime.”

“Does that mean we’re on for this Friday?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for all of the freckled girls with pigtails in the world.”

“Sounds great.” In the background of Nino’s end, Adrien could hear some shouts and then laughter. “Hey, I gotta go, man. My sister just got home and you know how my parents are about family dinner. See you tomorrow!”

“See ya!” Adrien hung up his cell phone and plopped it on my desk.

A blur of black buzzed around him, it’s green eyes aglow. “So, Marinette and Adrien, huh?”

“Knock it off, Plagg.”

“What would the couple name be?” The kwami mused, reclining midair.

“Plagg.”

“No, no, that can’t be it. It’s a great name, but it doesn’t have either of your names in it. Madrien, perhaps?”

“I said stop-”

“Oh, I know! Adrienette!”

“Plagg, quit it.” Adrien flicked the tiny cat in it’s rear, causing it to meow in protest. “You know as well as I do that Ladybug has my heart.”

“Ah, yes. Your one and only princess, your true love.” Plagg mocked.

“Well, yeah.”

His green eyes rolled back into his head. “Is that who you got the necklace for?”

“Who else would want Ladybug themed necklace, Plagg?”

“Well, Marinette looked pretty great in red, didn’t you think?” The cats sly smile simply irked his host even more.

“If I give you some cheese, will you shut up?”

“But of course.”

Plagg shook his head at his host as he headed to the kitchen.

If only he knew the truth.

 

10 DAYS UNTIL VALENTINE'S DAY

 

Ladybug could hardly stand to stay in this room any longer. One hairdryer lose in the library and the entire school goes crazy. Especially Chloé. The self absorbed blonde hadn’t shut up about her hair since the incident. For what cause, Ladybug had no idea. It still looked as pretentious as it always did.

Ladybug had no sympathy for the priss. Her _life_ had been threatened by Akumas time and time again, hell, she had almost been crushed by the Eiffel Tower, and _she_ never complained.

She knew that, as the hero of Paris, she was supposed to be unbiased towards all she protected, but as Marinette, she felt Chloé deserved every bit of strife this strange attack may have caused her.

Yet her they were, sitting in the bedroom of a spoiled brat, twiddling their thumbs and being coerced into selfies, rather than tracking down the latest Akuma.

Chat Noir sidled over to her, a smirk on his tan face. “Seems like you’ve gained a passionate fan.”

“Aren’t I so grateful.” Ladybug huffed.

“Then why are you acting like that? Like you’ve got a few complaints. Doesn’t it feel good to have someone who admires you to follow you around?” The teasing glint in his eyes only served to further irritate her.

“What’s to like?” She snapped, throwing up her hands. “I can’t do this, let’s go.”

“You’re leaving?! What happens if he comes back to attack her?”

“If you’re so worried, then _you_ can stay behind!” Ladybug stormed out onto the balcony, Chat following close behind.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Someone who cares a lot more than I do will do a better job protecting her.” That, and if she spent another moment with that intolerable girl, she was going to scream. “Well, I’m off!” She slung out her yoyo and flew off the balcony, the pressure easing off her chest every inch she moved away from Chloé and her ‘perfect’ hair.

Ladybug swung through the city in a blur of red, landing on her balcony with a sigh and then transforming back into civilian form, flinging her purse on the bed as she plopped through the trapdoor.

“Hey!” Her kwami exclaimed as she flew out of the bag, rubbing her tiny head.

“Sorry Tikki!” Marinette cried. “It was Chloé, I swear. She drives me crazy. I just can’t stand her!” Her fist clenched at the thought of her classmate.

Marinette had always made it her mission to get along with all, but any hope for a friendship with Chloé had been shattered in middle school. Chloé made her way through life by relying on her power and manipulation tactics, and Marinette simply wouldn’t stand for it.

Tikki went over to her and hovered in front of her nose. “Calm down, Marinette, in the end it’s nothing. It’s not worth it.”

“Sabrina has it so hard,” she sighed, pity for the girl rising in her chest. In a flash, she remembered. “Sabrina! The project!” She yanked her phone from her purse and found, just as she had feared, dozens of missed calls from the girl.

“I guess we could say we have a new best friend.” Tikki commented.

Marinette simply collapsed onto her bed with a moan. Her finger hovered over Sabrina’s contact, ready to call the poor girl back, when she heard a high pitched whining sound. Startled, she turned to see a boy with bright red hair stepping through her window, and when he looked up at her, her fears were realized.

He was under an Akuma.

He waltzed in without a moment of hesitation, a grin pasted onto his purple tinged face. Quickly, she leapt to her feet, prepared to make a quick escape if she felt threatened. “O-oh!” She stammered. “You were the one at the library! What are you doing here?”

As much as Marinette hated to admit it, she was a bit frightened. Work had never come this close to home before.

“I just wanted to see you,” the boy said with a sweep of his hand. Marinette studied his every motion, desperately trying to determine what the Akuma was in. What would she do if she had to defeat him as Marinette? Ironically, the thought of being in Chloé’s home almost seemed wistful now.

“Well then why did you attack Chloé?” She asked, gripping the bed tightly.

“Because she’s nasty and egotistical!” He growled.

“I can’t argue with that,” she conceded, “but why are you going to attack me?”

His eyes widened in surprise.  “You? You’re Marinette! You’re sweet, pretty, and perfect.” He seemed a bit bashful at his declaration, but pressed on, saying, “I could never do you any harm.”

Marinette blushed a bit in spite of herself. “That’s really, uh, flattering.” She couldn’t remember the last time someone had called her pretty, not counting her parents and Tikki.

“I just came to ask, um, if you, well…” A blush now stained his cheeks as well. “It’s my birthday today, and, uh, would you...like to come to my party?”

“Oh, that, well, it’s actually not really a good time,” She lunged for her schoolbooks, almost as a defensive measure, just to have something in her hands. “You see I have to work on a school project, and, uh, call my friend to work together…”

“Oh, please, Marinette!” Desperation tinged the edges of his tone. “There’ll be nobody but you and me.” He looked around for a moment before an idea struck him. Quickly, he sketched a bit on the tablet on his arm, and in a pop of light, a card appeared in his hand. With a dramatic kneel, he extended it to her.

“What is...oh!” She looked back up at him. “Is it me?”

“Do you like it?”

Of course she liked it. She would recognize that art style anywhere. It belonged to none other than gentle Nathanael. Suddenly. Everything made sense. Why he was after Chloé, why his powers were art based. Why he was asking her on a date.

She scanned him over once more, and her eyes settled on the pencil in his hand. She had fought enough of Hawk Moth’s villains to recognize an Akumized object when she saw one. Bit by bit, a plan was constructing itself in her mind.

“Uh, I love it!” She assured him, tucking the card under her arm. “It’s even convinced me to go to your super birthday party,” his eyes lit up at her words, “but on one condition.”

“Anything you want, Marinette,” he said softly.

“You have to leave Chloé alone, because I can’t stand violence.”

The artist drew himself up to his full height. “I promise. I’ll meet you at Notre Dame after sundown.”

Marinette watched as he made a few scratches on his tablet, and a jet pack materialized on his back. She stared at the window for a moment before collapsing back on the bed.

“What has gotten into you, Marinette?” Tikki cried, her concern evident.

“I believe it could be Nathaneal, and his crush on me is what caused him to become _Le_ _Dessinateur_ ,” she explained, “and he’ll be caught by Ladybug.”

“How are you going to catch your admirer if you have to be with him at the same time as Marinette?”

Marinette shot the small creature a wicked grin. “I have a certain cat in mind that may be able to help.”

___

 

Marinette came back up with the warm croissants, and the smell entered the room before she did.

Chat rolled over on the bed and rested his head in his hands. “Those look delicious, my lady.”

“I think so too. Good thing my mother made them for _me_.”

His bottom lip went out in a pout as he flopped back onto his back, letting his head hang over the edge of the mattress. “But, Marinette, they look _so good._ ”

She sighed as she threw one his direction, and he leapt up to grab it. If only she knew that this was the second time he had been eating croissants in her room in the past week.

“Aren’t cats supposed to like cheese?”

Chat could feel Plagg stirring in his miraculous at the word. “Well, we do like cheese too, if you’re in the mood to get me some of that.”

“Not a chance.” She snorted. “The food in the bakery tends to be meant for paying customers, not alley cats begging for scraps.”

“But I’m protecting you valiantly. Don’t I deserve some gratitude?”

“Protecting me?” She raised an eyebrow. “The only thing you’ve been doing for the past hour is laying on my bed and telling bad jokes.”

“You’ve enjoyed every meowment of it.”

Marinette groaned as she rolled her eyes. “Hardly.”

But Chat could see her small smile as she turned back to her desk.

Throughout his brief stay at her home, she had continually surprised him. When Ladybug had first given him the assignment of protecting Marinette from the Evillistrator, he had been bracing himself for a day of awkwardness. Whenever he was around Marinette as Adrien, this had proven to be the case, and he had expected to see the same blushing, stuttering Marinette he always did. Not that there was anything wrong with that, he told himself, she’s just a shy person, and that’s okay, cute, even.

These expectations were shattered from the moment he arrived in full Chat Noir splendor. Marinette had started out as every Chat Noir fangirl did, acting as if seeing him was a blessing from the heavens, but that facade quickly melted away, to be replaced with a wittiness and dry humor that took him completely off guard.

Despite the fact that the Chat Noir, the leather clad heartthrob of Paris was sprawled out across her bed, Marinette went about her day as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

It was interesting to see the shift in her personality from the timid girl who sits behind in in class to the sassy spirit who acted as if talking Chat Noir was an everyday occurrence.

Yet despite the apparent change, she was still undeniably Marinette. She still smelled like cinnamon, her jeans were still dusted with a bit of flour, she still knitted her brow when she was concentrating, she still hummed when she worked.

He realized how much he liked both sides of Marinette.

Chat wondered what changed when he was himself versus his more cat like form. Why is it that Adrien scared her stiff, yet Chat Noir was treated like the boy next door? If anything, he would have expected the opposite reaction.

It seemed he was learning more and more with Marinette to expect the unexpected.

“Kitty?” Mari’s voice called him out of his thoughts. “Did you hear me?”

“Sorry, Marinette. I was lost in thought.”

“Thinking about Ladybug?” She teased.

“Not this time, princess.”

“Oh?” She turned around in her rolly chair to fully face him. “Then what were you thinking about?”

_That you smell sweet and are sweet but you seem to have two different sides and I just can’t figure you out._

“That the croissants here are really good.”

He grinned as he saw her small chest puff up with pride. “Papa is the best baker in all of Paris. He can make anything, and make it perfectly.”

“You seem proud of him.”

“Of course I am! He’s my father.” She pursed her lips as she looked him over, and Chat tried his best not to wriggle under her gaze. “Are you _not_ proud of your father?”

“Er, well, you see…it’s complicated, my lady.”

Her eyebrow quirked upwards as she waited for a real response.

“I’m proud of him, I suppose, but I don’t really know him in the same way you know your dad. Like, we’re not close. I don’t really think he knows me either.” He felt his throat start to ache, but he pressed on. “It’s not a big deal, I’ve learned to adjust, I just can’t really say I’m ‘proud of him’ in the same way you’re proud of your father. It’s just different. So I guess I’m proud of him the same amount he’s proud of me.” He pressed his eyes shut as his massaged away the pressure under the bridge of his nose. “Which I don’t think is that much.”

“I’m so sorry, Chat.” Her voice was a whisper. “I shouldn’t have pressed, I just didn’t know.”

“I know you didn’t. It’s okay, Marinette.”

She started to say something when he cut her off. “Before you even ask, there is nothing you can do to help.”

Chat could almost hear the gears in her mind twirling, searching for something to make him feel better. That’s just how Marinette is. She cares about other people, and Chat found it incredibly appealing. Compassion was his favorite trait in a person. It’s a large part of the reason he was attracted to Ladybug. Not only was she beautiful and clever, but she did everything in her power to help others.

“Chat?”

“Huh?”

“You got lost in thought again.”

He chuckled as he opened his eyes again. “You caught me. This time I really was thinking about Ladybug.”

She walked over and laid out near him on the bed, tipping her head over the side, just as his was. When she turned her head to face him, they were almost nose to nose. He could see every freckle in great detail. In spite of himself, he felt his body heat up and his heart pound a bit faster.

He had never noticed how blue her eyes were.

“What is it like working with Ladybug?” Her breath was warm on his face, but he found it pleasant instead of bothersome, like a tickle from an insect.

“It’s fun. We’re partners, and we’re always there for each other. Sure, it can be stressful, but I know Ladybug has got my back. We look out for each other, ya know?”

“Do you think that you all are friends?”

“I think so. We sorta have to be. I really wish she would let me in more, but I suppose that’s just how she is.”

His answer caused a pressure to build in Marinette’s chest, and she turned her face away. She wished she could explain to him that Ladybug wished she could let him in too. That Ladybug considers him to be one of her best friends, one she would love to feel even closer to. But she can’t. When she’s Ladybug, everything is numbed. Her feelings all melt into the background as she finds herself unable to focus on anything but the task at hand. Marinette would find herself going over missions in her mind after they were over, and not being able to identify what she had felt. Did she ever genuinely laugh as Ladybug? Did she ever cry? She couldn’t remember. Just numb.

She had long suspected that this wasn’t the case for her partner, and this visit had proved it to her. Chat had always seemed freer than she was as Ladybug. As if all of his filters were turned off. When Chat put on his mask, he seemed alive. His flirtations and small gentlemanly acts always struck her as unfocused and irresponsible when she was Ladybug, but when she thought back to them as Marinette, they seemed sweet. Endearing, even. So why was it her feelings shifted so dramatically when she was Ladybug? Was that how Tikki felt all the time? Numb? She couldn’t imagine spending all of her time like that. She much rather would feel. She would much rather be free, like Chat Noir.

Now, as he lay next to her, telling her the same cheesy jokes he told Ladybug, smiling at her with the same smile, she felt differently than she ever had about him. Talking with him as Marinette was easy. All the pressure that came with being a hero was gone. She didn’t have to worry about acting like a heroine, she simply needed to be her. The teasing came naturally, and with their light hearted banter a new feeling had bubbled up within her. A strange one, with many edges and divots and odd curves. One that she had never quite been able to name.

One usually reserved for Adrien.

She moved to get up, and his hand pressed against her wrist. “Not yet,” he murmured, “you look pawsitively beautiful this way.”

She turned back towards him, and couldn’t help but smile at the way his hair looked hanging upside down, “And you look purrfectly silly, kitty cat.”

He flashed a grin at her. “I love it when you make puns, princess.”

“I’m sure you do, I’m pawsitive that mine are better than yours could ever be.”

His laugh filled her brain with tingles. “Why such a hostile cattitude?”

“Pawlease,” she snorted, rolling her eyes, “you know I’m just telling the truth.”

He grabbed her cheek and moved her even closer to him, until her nose touched his and she could see nothing but green. He was practically purring as he said softly, “I’m sure I can purrsuade you otherwise.”

His breath danced on the bottom of her chin. His lips looked soft and gentle and oh so appealing. His hand moved further up her face and found it’s way into her hair, the dark of his suit blending in with the dark of the strands. She felt herself edge even closer to him, her eyes drifting shut...

 _WAH WAH WAH._ The blaring of the alarm on her phone broke the spell between them. Quickly, she pulled away, rolling off the bed and smoothing out her shirt. She was blushing.

He loved making her blush.

Chat rolled off the bed as well, coming over to lean on the back of the chair she was sitting in as she put on her shoes. “Is it time for us to go, my lady?”

Her eyes sparkled as she grinned. “It’s time for a date with destiny.”

___

 

Ladybug groaned as she landed back in her bedroom, her transformation wearing off as she flopped into the desk chair.

“That was an adventure!” Tikki yawned as she flew out of Marinette’s miraculous.

“Yeah…” Marinette muttered, stretching her arms out in front of her. “I thought I was going to be erased for a second.”

“But you weren’t!” Tikki chirped as she darted into the bag of cookies on Marinette’s desk.

“I guess not.” Marinette reached over and grabbed a cookie for herself. “Tikki,” she said around her mouthful of food, “what do you think about Chat Noir?”

The small kwami peeked her head out of the bag, her face coated in crumbs. “I think he’s a good guy. A bit silly, if you ask me. Why?”

Marinette nodded slowly as she chewed. “Just wondering.”

“Do you like him?”

The question took Marinette off guard, and she gasped so suddenly a chocolate chip got caught in her throat. “What?” She coughed, scrambling to grab a bottle of water.

“Do you have a crush on Chat?”

Marinette blushed as she swallowed loudly. “He’s my partner, Tikki.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Marinette sat down on her bed, her hand falling on the little indent her partner had left just hours ago. She knew it was only her imagination, but for a moment, she almost thought that it was warm. She closed her eyes, and she could see nothing but the vibrant green of his, and his brilliant white smile. She touched her cheeks, unsurprised to find them burning.

“I don’t know, Tikki,” she sighed, turning back to face her kwami.

Tikki flew over to her, landing softly on her knee. “It’s okay if you do, Marinette.”

“I know, it’s just, I really do like Adrien. I do. Whenever he’s around, my heart skips a few beats, and I feel dizzy. I get butterflies in my stomach, not in a bad way, but in a way that makes me feel like they may fly away with my heart. But today, with Chat, I didn’t feel like that at all. I felt calmer, almost. Everything felt natural, and easy. The way I feel with Chat and the way I feel with Adrien is...very...different, but, also the same somehow?” She fell back on her bed. “I don’t know, Tikki. Is it possible that the same feeling can feel so different?”

Tikki hovered over Marinette’s nose. “Marinette, I could tell you lots of things that I’ve learned from my time as a kwami. I could tell you all of the lessons that past Ladybugs have learned, or haven’t learned, or should’ve learned.” The look Tikki gave her was a mix of love for Marinette and the wisdom of a being thousands of years old. “But I won’t.”

“What?” Marinette cried. “I thought you were getting all wound up for some lecture on the nature of love!”

“Not this time, Marinette.” Tikki offered her a small smile. “This is something you need to figure out on your own.”


	2. Pining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of my Valentine's Exchange gift for tumblr user @insomniatasteslikecottoncandy! This part was reeeeally fun to write. Enjoy!

7 DAYS UNTIL VALENTINE'S DAY

 

Marinette looked utterly exhausted.

Not that Adrien would ever say anything about it, of course. He was a gentleman. But anyone with eyes could see that Marinette was working herself to the bone.

As soon as invitations had gone out for the Anti-Valentine's Day Masquerade, the requests for custom masks had come pouring in. Marinette, sweet, kind hearted Marinette, seemed unable to say no to anyone who asked her. She was making masks for at least half of the people in their grade, and, knowing her, each mask was made with that specific person in mind. Also knowing her, Adrien was willing to bet that every mask would be free of charge.

Despite the bags under her eyes, she approached Adrien with a warm smile. “I finished your n-necklace, Adrien.”

It pleased him that her stammer was slowly lessening.

He eagerly opened the box as soon as she placed it on the tabletop, and nodded in satisfaction upon seeing it.

It looked just how he had hoped it would. The black ribbon was woven perfectly through the delicate silver chain, and the one of a kind Ladybug charm rested softly upon the white velvet of the box.

“How much?” Adrien asked, reaching for his wallet.

“No charge.”

He jerked his head up in shock. “Mari, are you sure?”

She nodded vigorously. “Just l-let me know how she likes it, okay?”

“Of course.”

Marinette nodded once more as she turned away. Rubbing her eyes, she trudged to her desk and collapsed in her seat. With a yawn, she began taking her books and binders out of her bag.

As she did, her elbow hit the edge of the table. Her face scrunched up in pain, and she dropped everything she was holding, causing paper and books to fly all over the floor.

Quickly, Adrien bent down and began scooping them up. Vast amounts of paper covered the surrounding area, each containing some familiar Marinette scrawl.

Then, one particular page caught his eye. His hand shot out to grab it, and just before he grabbed it, Marinette’s hand moved towards the same paper. Before he could quite process what was happening, their foreheads collided, causing them to both pull away in a daze.

“Sorry, Mari,” Adrien offered her a sheepish smile as he watched her rub her forehead.

“M-my fault.” Her face was a blazing red.

“Here,” he said, depositing the paper in her hand. “What’s on that page? It looked cool.”

“Oh, uh, well-”

“Marinette!” Alya called as she strolled into the classroom, “I see you’ve fallen before class has started today. New record!” The hurricane of a girl threw a smile over her shoulder at Adrien before turning back to help her friend up. “What’s this?” Alya plucked the slightly crumpled page out of Marinette’s grip, ignoring her small sounds of protest. “Oh, these are our masks, right?”

“Yeah.” Marinette sighed as she slumped back into her chair. “They were supposed to be a surprise.”

Alya dismissed her with a wave of her hand, studying the drawings while chewing her bottom lip. After a few more moments of consideration, she passed the paper to Adrien. “What do you think? You’re the model, after all.”

Marinette’s work never failed to take his breath away. On the page before him, neatly organized into two rows of two, there were four masks sketched out, each labeled with a name. The mask labeled ‘Alya’ was a black mask with white trim on it’s exterior. Inside the trim were detailed doodles of flowers, leaves, and ladybugs, and there was an arrow pointing to the black that said ‘glitter.’ Nino’s mask was a royal blue mask with four thin stripes running along the top; one green, one purple, one red, and one yellow.

Adrien’s mask made his face split in two with a grin. It seemed she had taken his favorite outfit into account in the design. The mask she had laid out was a stark white mask with intricate black detailing around the eye holes. The outside were laced with the same detailing, and the edge was dotted with colors such as yellow, green, and purple.

It was perfect.

When he looked down to see the mask above Marinette’s name, he was confused to find that her mask was simply solid black. “That’s all you’re doing for yours?”

Her eyebrows knitted together and she looked towards the ground. “I just thought I’d, ya know, keep mine simple.” She looked back up at him, seeming confused. “Did you not like the other ones?”

“Oh!” He scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he passed the drawings onto Nino, who had come in while Adrien was looking at them.. “No no, I loved them, I just was confused about yours.”

“I’m just keeping it plain.”

Adrien opened his mouth to say something more, but the bell put in its two cents before he could. So he simply turned around, trying to wrap his mind around why she would go through such lengths for everyone else and then deprive herself of a beautiful mask.

Another thought fluttered through Adrien’s mind, and as the class went on, it fluttered less and cemented itself more. If Marinette was making masks for so many people, it couldn’t be that difficult, right? Especially if he only needs to make one mask. Fashion designing is in his genes, it should be a piece of cake.

If Marinette wouldn’t give herself what she deserves, Adrien would simply have to do it for her.

___

Ladybug looked utterly exhausted.

Not that Chat Noir would ever say anything about it, of course. He was a gentleman. But anyone with eyes could see that his lady was working herself to the bone.

Perhaps it was the extra patrols she had taken on this week, he mused. His civilian life had stopped him from taking his shift yesterday and the day before, leaving it all up to Ladybug. She was more than capable, of course, but even Ladybug experienced fatigue.

“Keep up, Chat.” She called to him. Even when tired, she was still a step ahead of him.

“Coming!”

“You’re acting odd today, kitty.” She turned to him as he landed on the rooftop next to her. “Is something the matter?”

The question took him off guard, and he was glad that the mask hid his blush. “Not at all.”

Her gaze seemed to reach into his depths, trying to analyze his true feelings and decide if she bought his answer. From the look on her face, she didn’t. But she nodded anyway, and swung over to the next rooftop. Perhaps her soul searching look had deduced that it would be unwise for her to push any further.

A small part of him wish she had pushed further. He lived for any reason to talk to his lady. But the other, more logical part of him knew it was good she didn’t. If she had, he may have said something he would regret.

“See anything strange?” She asked, her eyes alert as she scanned the city.

“Not today, my lady.”

She rolled her eyes at the pet name. “I don’t see why you insist on calling me that, Chat.”

“Because it’s how I feel about you. You are my lady.”

She shook her head, but he could see the small smile on her face. No matter how much she protested, he thought she liked how important he made her feel. And he would do just about anything to make her smile.

“It looks like we don’t have anything to worry about tonight.” She lowered herself onto the rooftop and stretched out with a satisfied sigh. “I’m just going to lay here for a bit. You can go home, if you’d like.”

Chat laid out next to her. “I’m fine to stay as long as you will, my lady.”

“There you go with that nickname again, silly kitty.”

He simply flashed her a smile. “What can I say? You will always be my lady.”

She chuckled as she reached over and scratched his head. “And you’ll always be my kitty cat.”

Chat was nearly purring in pleasure when she withdrew her hand. He instantly missed her touch.

“So, Ladybug, got any plans for Sunday?” He asked as he turned to face her.

“This Sunday, huh? Did you mean Valentine’s Day?”

He gasped in mock surprise. “Valentine’s Day? Why, I had no idea!”

Her laughter rang out over the rooftops and filled his chest with bubbles. “You nosy thing.”

“Well? Do you?”

His piercing green eyes were wide open, scanning every bit of her body in hopes of reading her thoughts. She knew what he wanted her to say. He wanted her to say no, she doesn’t have any plans. That she’ll be free this Valentine’s Day, and yes, Chat Noir, she will go out with you.

But she couldn’t, she reminded herself, thinking of another pair of green eyes. Ones that were filled with kindness instead of Chat’s mischievousness, and had a warmth where Chat’s had boyish charm. Yes, her heart belonged to that pair of green eyes.

Or it always had, at least. So why is it now, as she sat on the rooftop next to her partner, her friend, she wanted nothing more than to tell him she doesn’t have any plans? Why does part of her yearn to say that she’ll be free this Valentine’s Day, and yes, Chat Noir, she will go out with you?

It used to be that everything made sense. It used to be simple. It used to be that she was in love with Adrien, and Chat Noir was in love with Ladybug, but Ladybug would always be out of his reach.

Lately, however, things have gotten a lot more complicated. Lately, Chat Noir has transformed from more than her partner who made her laugh. He had become someone who made her stomach churn in confusion. He had become someone who made her cheeks flush when he complimented her.

He had become the boy Marinette almost kissed on her bed.

When she’s Ladybug, everything is numbed. Her feelings all melt into the background as she finds herself unable to focus on anything but the task at hand. This is how it always had been, and how she assumed it always would be. Yet here, with Chat Noir, she felt as if the wall the mask builds around her feelings is beginning to crumble. That maybe, after years of clawing at the door at her heart, Chat may have finally found his way in.

She didn’t know how to feel anymore.

“Yes, I do.” She met his gaze as she said it, and for a moment, she thought he saw him deflate. But before she could say anything, he painted that familiar Chat Noir smile onto his face.

“I do too, actually.”

That was a response she hadn’t been expecting, and it made her heart do a funny flop.

It had never done that before.

What was happening to her?

“I’d still like to see you, though,” he continued, oblivious to Ladybug’s inner turmoil hidden behind her spotted mask. “How about the day before?”

“I’m free that day.” The response left her lips before she could think about it. For some reason, a part of her wanted to see him as badly as he wanted to see her.

She didn’t like it.

“Purrfect,” he rolled his ‘r’ as he leaned closer to Ladybug, and she simply chuckled as she shoved his head away.

And when she was alone, in the privacy of her room, and Marinette once again, she held her hand to her chest and imagined it was still warm from the touch of his skin.

 

5 DAYS UNTIL VALENTINE'S DAY

 

Marinette knew from the moment she walked into the bakery that something was amiss.

Instead of being in the back, greeting her daughter with flour coated hands from behind the counter of the bustling shop, the store was empty, and a clean Sabine sat at a lone table.

“Hey, Mom,” Marinette said, closing the door softly behind her.

“Marinette!” Her mother's bright smile set her at ease, but only a bit. “Come, sit, I have a snack for you.” Sabine gestured at the apple crumble on the table in front of her.

Marinette walked over and sat down, all while moving a bit more slowly, a bit more cautiously than usual. She didn’t know what her mother was up to, but this behavior was beyond odd. The last time the bakery had been closed when she got home was when she got sent home for getting into a shouting match with Chloé. Sabine had been the maddest her daughter had ever seen her, raving about marks on her record and how that impacts her future and whatnot, while Tom simply stood behind his small firecracker of a wife and nodded gravely. But as far as Marinette knew, she hadn’t caused any trouble recently, so she could not begin to fathom what had caused her mother to shut out customers.

“Is something wrong, Mama?”

She simply smiled once more at her daughter, which somehow managed to make Marinette feel like she was on trial. “I don’t know Marinette, is there?”

“Look, if this is about the argument with Alya today, I did it after school when like no one was around, and it was a valid argument, okay? And sure, we got a little loud, but we hugged right after and made up and-”

“Hush, Marinette. I wasn’t talking about any trouble in school. I simply noticed you’ve been acting strangely the past few days, and I wanted to talk to you about it. So what’s wrong?”

Marinette’s relief was tangible. “Mama!” She whined. “Don’t scare me like that! Give me some warning next time!”

Sabine’s warm laughter lifted the pressure from Marinette’s chest. “Well, darling, what’s wrong? I just want to be here for you.”

“It’s complicated,” she said with a sigh, “I don’t know what to do anymore, Mama.”

“What to do about what?”

Sabine had always been one to assure her daughter that she can tell her about anything. Through the years, no matter the issue, Sabine had been there, helping Marinette up when she fell down and cheering her on from the sidelines. As such, she knew Marinette incredibly well, often knowing something was wrong with her child before she knew herself. Even then, as Sabine looked at Marinette with eyes filled with compassion and wisdom, Marinette knew that her mother would somehow find the right thing to say.

“Have you ever felt like your heart is being tugged in two different ways? Like on one hand, there’s the familiar, this thing that you’ve wanted for as long as you can remember, and on the other, there is something totally different, something new that you hadn’t even realized you wanted until it overtook your thoughts?”

Her mother nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. “It seems like a bit of a pickle. Which do you choose?”

“Exactly. And the worst part is, I want both.”

“And if I may take a gander, that’s near impossible.”

“Not just near impossible. Impossible. Period.”

Sabine took her daughter's hand in her own. “Marinette,” she said, her grey eyes fixed on the girl’s blue ones, “you are a smart girl. Smart enough to realize that some choices have to be made. Those choices are rarely easy, and almost always hurt someone. Yet it must be done.” Her thumb rubbed her daughters palm gently as she continued. “But, no one ever said that those choices must be made quickly. No, these are the type of choices that are best thought about nightly, prayed upon, wished upon, analyzed from every angle. These are the choices that must be picked apart bit by bit by bit until you have weighed all the pros and cons. Yes, the choice you make may hurt someone, and leave others dissatisfied.” Sabine’s voice dropped to a whisper. “That doesn’t matter. ”

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “But…”

“Yes, I know, I raised you to think of others. I raised to look for ways you can help your neighbor and bring a smile to their face. And those lessons are very, very, important. But not as important as your happiness. Honey, if you’re not happy, how can you possibly expect to make others happy? So yes, think about your choices long and hard and do all of the digging you can, but in the end, you must chose what makes Marinette Dupain-Cheng happy. If it makes the world angry, then so be it. You must live your life for you.”

Marinette nodded slowly. “What happens if the choice I pick is wrong?”

“Dear, I doubt you will make the wrong choice. But, if you do, you learn from it, you pick yourself up, and you move on, using your mistakes to make a better you.”

For the first time in the past two days, Marinette took in a deep breath. “You really think I’ll make the right choice?”

“I know you will.” Sabine assured her as she squeezed her hand. “If anyone can do it, it’s you.”

 

2 DAYS UNTIL VALENTINE'S DAY

 

At eleven at night, Marinette’s phone buzzed on her desk, and she rolled over to see who was texting her at this hour. Predictably, it was Alya. Nino had asked her out yesterday, and Marinette was sure she had some gossip to share.

 

 **_A_ ** _: you up?_

 **_M_ ** _: Of course_

 **_A_ ** _: masks?_

 **_M_ ** _: You know it_

 **_A_ ** _: when will mine and ninos be done?_

 **_M_ ** _: You can swing by my place tomorrow and pick them up_

 **_A_ ** _: youre the best mari_

 **_M_ ** _: So I’ve been told. How’s things with Nino?_

 **_A_ ** _: great! i never thought id live to see the day that boy actually worked up the nerve to ask me out_

 **_M_ ** _: Ahhh this is so exciting!!! What are you two doing on Valentines Day?_

 **_A_ ** _: hes taking me out to dinner after we finish set up. you sure you and adrien dont want to help with that_

 **_M_ ** _: Not a chance. Your party, your set up_

 **_A_ ** _: one could argue that its both of our party_

 **_M_ ** _: One would be wrong_

 **_A_ ** _: fine no set up for princess marinette_

 **_M_ ** _: You know it_

**_A_ ** _ : so do you have any plans on v day?? besides the dance _

**_M_ ** _ : Nah not really _

**_A_ ** _ : how about this weekend at all?? _

**_M_ ** _ : Just masks masks and more masks _

**_A_ ** _ : cant you have some fun for once? youre not doing anything at all? _

Marinette chewed her lip as she thought about the plans she made with a blonde cat boy three days ago. Plans to meet for uncertain purposes. Why she had agreed to meet, she still wasn’t certain. When she looks back on that night now, as Marinette, all she can seem to remember how bright his smile was against the dark of the night, and how close he had come to crumbling her wall.

**_M_ ** _ : What can I say I’m hopeless _

**_A_ ** _ : one day i will find your hopeless self love _

**_M_ ** _ : If you say so _

**_A_ ** _ : MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG I WILL NOT LET YOU DIE ALONE _

Marinette threw her phone back on the desk with a laugh, wondering what Alya would say if she knew the truth about Marinette’s weekend plans with the city sweetheart.

1 DAY UNTIL VALENTINE'S DAY

 

Ladybug was probably crazy.

Or at least that’s what she told herself as she paced around the base of the Eiffel Tower, waiting around for a particularly troublesome cat.

If she had any ounce of sanity left in her, she would leave right now, leave before he came, before he knocked over the rest of her wall.

She felt tense. She wondered if Ladybug felt that way because Tikki did, because Marinette sure as hell didn’t feel that way.

Marinette felt exhilarated.

But as she stood here now, as Ladybug, the idea kept tickling in the back of her mind that this was a bad idea. Chat Noir was her partner, and that’s how things should stay.

Besides, you love Adrien, the more logical part of her, and probably Tikki, seemed to be saying.

Yet the less logical part still stood taller than her sanity. That part raised its voice louder, screaming in her head about wanting to be free. Wanting to be herself even behind the mask.

Wanting to be like Chat Noir.

He seemed to prompt that freedom in her. The only times she had ever really  _ felt _ as Ladybug had been with him, had been with her partner, had been with her kitty.

And she wanted to feel more.

So, so much more.

As much as the more logical told her to stay away from Chat, it also conceded that her love for Adrien was unrequited, and seemed to be destined to stay that way.

Adrien, kind, intelligent, caring, literal supermodel Adrien Agreste, was amazing, and impossibly out of reach. When he looked at her, he didn’t see a potential partner. He didn’t see her in the same way she saw him at all. She was sure that, to him, she was just his silly little friend, ditzy, goofy Marinette. Adrien didn’t love her. She knew that now.

Chat, on the other hand, had fallen for her head over heels. He loved her, and he looked at her in a way no one ever had before. No matter how many times she had rejected him, he was still there for her, still there to fight by her side, to make her laugh, to help her up when something had knocked her down.

Yes, the superboy of Paris was much more attainable than the pretty boy in her English class.

Talk about irony.

So there she was, the biggest celebrity in the city, pacing around the Eiffel Tower as her heart battled with her mind.

After what seemed like an eternity of pacing, she sat down with a sigh, leaning against one of the large metal legs of the sculpture.

Not a moment later, a familiar green eyed boy popped out from behind her.

“Chat!” She stood quickly, startled. “Where did you come from?”

“I arrived a little after you did, my lady.” He walked around the bars between them and stood in front of her, a look of glee painted onto his face. “I’m glad you came.”

“Why didn’t you come out till now?”

“You didn’t seem to know if you wanted to stay. I wanted to be sure that, if you came, you wanted to be here. And you sat down to wait, so you must want to be here.” His eyes were eager. “Right?”

“Yeah,” Ladybug said with a smile, “right.”

She felt more of her wall coming down.

He felt it too.

With a brilliant smile, he kneeled down, and pulled a box out from one of the pockets in his suit.

“Princess,” he was practically purring, “please accept this gift.”

A lump formed in her throat. A two weeks ago, she would have laughed and petted his head, turning down his gift while muttering ‘silly kitty’ under her breath. She would have turned him down, and offered to take the patrol from him the next day to soften the blow.

But a lot has changed in two weeks.

“Princess,” he said again, almost pleading, “please, it’s for you. I want you to take it.”

With a nod, she reached forward and took the white box in her gloved hands. Chat was practically quaking in anticipation. Slowly, slowly, she opened the lid and peaked inside.

There, resting gently on the soft velvet, was a delicate ladybug charm, hooked to a silver chain woven together with a thin black ribbon. It was one of a kind. She should know.

She made it.

Rapidly, pieces started clicking into place in her mind. She had only received one of these types of orders. Only one person had asked her to craft a ladybug for his lover.

This time, it was Ladybug’s turn to shake. The box fell to the ground as her hands flew to her open mouth.

Inside her chest, she could hear the rest of her defenses crumbling down. Her carefully constructed, red and black spotted wall was collapsing with a bang.

It felt  _ so good. _

All at once, her body collided with his as her lips eclipsed his own, and his shock quickly melted into a sigh of pleasure. His hands raked up and down her back and her fingers flowed through his hair, each touch from her fingertips setting him afire. His knees bent underneath him and he slid down to the ground, and she groaned as he fell into his lap, her lips never leaving his. She leaned the kiss further into him, and he seemed to be vibrating with joy. His body was firm against hers and she was soft in all the right placed. His fingers wove his way into her mess of hair, and he slowly pulled out the ribbons. He had always wanted to run his fingers through her hair while it was down, and now he could, and the very sensation made Ladybug’s body tingle. She broke the kiss as she leaned into him even more, her fingers trailing down his back and arms and filling his head with bubbles at her touch. She sank deeper into him, breathing against his neck, sinking closer and closer and making his heart soar and then...she pushed away.

“My lady?” He panted, his confusion clear in his tone.

“Don’t call me that.” Her voice came out thick and crackley. “Chat, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, no, that was all I’ve ever-”

“I know.” She cut him off, her hands balling into fists as her eyes squeezed shut. “It was all you ever wanted.”

“Yes, my lady, so-”

“I said don’t call me that!” She screamed, slamming her fists onto his legs. They sat there for a moment, their breathing heavy, and their hearts breaking. “Chat,” she said his name in a whisper, “I’m sorry. I used you. I don’t know what I’m thinking anymore.” Tears were filling her eyes as she pushed off of him and backed away. “I’m so sorry.” Her voice broke, and she turned and ran.

She fled the scene of the crime, and she left her victim slaughtered on the ground. He sat, his heart ripped in two.

No, not two. Three, no, four, no, a thousand pieces. She had been collecting the pieces, bit by bit, until she had held most of his heart in her hands, and tonight, rather than give them back to him gently, she had stolen the rest of it, then threw it onto the ground.

He sat, open mouthed, alone on the pavement, cold filling the space where there had once been a person. There, surrounded by the torn shards of what was once his heart, she had left her victim to weep, holding a thin silver chain with a cracked ladybug dangling through his fingertips.


	3. Loving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the final part! This was my first multichapter fic, and it was a blast to write. I hope you all enjoyed the ride as much as I did!

Marinette’s eyes were red and puffy as she lay face down on her bed. “How could I have been so stupid?” She groaned, her fingernails digging into her scalp, “What have I done?”

“Marinette,” Tikki asked timidly, “do you like Adrien or Chat Noir?”

“I don’t knoooow,” she sobbed.

“Oh, Marinette,” the kwami sighed.

“I was so sure that Chat was Adrien when I kissed him, it just made so much sense, but now, I don’t know! It was dark out, that necklace may have not been the one I made Adrien, or maybe Adrien is friends with Chat and ordered it for him. One way or another,” she snorted loose snot back up her nose, “I made a huge mistake.”

The sound of footsteps on the patio caused her to sit bolt upright. “What was that?” She whispered, her hysterics tapering off.

“A bird?” Tikki offered.

“It’s one in the morning, Tikki.” Marinette’s eyes darted around the room, searching for a weapon, and her eyes settling on a history book next to the bed. She picked it up and cocked it behind her head as she stood. “I’m going to check it out.”

“What! You can’t-”

“Shhhh,” Marinette silenced Tikki’s protest. “I have a weapon.”

Tikki rolled her eyes, but ducked into Marinette’s bag as the girl cautiously walked up the stairs.

Carefully, she opened the trap door and peeked out.

“Marinette!”

The voice startled her, causing her to lose her grip on the door. It fell rapidly, but black gloved fingers wrapped around it’s edge before it could hit her head.

“Sorry,” the voice said sheepishly.

Marinette dropped her book as she looked up to see Chat Noir staring at her, his smile unsteady and his eyes as red rimmed as hers.

“Chat! What are you doing here?”

“I know it’s late, I’m sorry,” he extended his hand to help her step onto the balcony, “I just needed to talk, and N-er, a friend, once told me that anyone could talk to you about anything. That you’re there for everyone. I just…” he took a deep breath, “I really need to be with someone right now.”

Marinette nodded, and she and Chat walked over to the seats near the railing. For a long while, they just sat in each others company, him looking out at the stars, and her looking at him, her soul aching for what she had done to him.

“I just thought,” Chat’s quiet voice broke the silence first, “I thought that she was finally mine.”

“Was that,” Marinette’s voice clogged up, and she felt the need to clear her throat, on the verge of tears herself, “was that for her?”

Chat followed her finger to the necklace on the table. “Yeah,” he sighed, “it was. You made this, actually. A buddy of mine ordered it from you.”

Yet another roadblock in the journey of discovering Chat’s identity. Was he Adrien? She had been so sure before, but now, as he sat in front of her, she didn’t know what to think.

Chat continued, unaware of Marinette internal struggle. “She left it with me when she ran away.” He sighed again, taking it into his hands. “I thought she finally wanted me.”

“Well maybe she does!” Marinette’s voice came out louder than she expected, surprising herself and the hero. “Maybe,” she said, quieter, “she just doesn’t know what she wants.”

“One way or another, that really screws me over, huh?” His laugh was hollow.

Looking at him was painful. It felt like she had murdered him and was now attending his funeral. He looked broken. She had broken him.

She had broken herself.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what? This isn’t your fault, princess.”

Oh, Chat.

If only he knew.

“Well,” he said, pushing himself off the chair, “Sorry to drop in unannounced. I should probably head home.”

“Yeah, she murmured, “probably.”

“Goodnight, Marinette.” He gave her one more sad smile before he lept over the edge of her balcony.

Her heart was heavy as she reentered her room.

Their names and faces swirled around in her mind. Chat, Adrien, Chat, Adrien, Chat, Adrien. Two pretty boys. Two kindhearted boys. Two very different boys.

Two boys that she was in love with.

And despite it all, she didn’t know who to chose.

Or if she’d have to chose at all.

Her gaze strayed over to her crafting table, covered in masks, as an idea took form in her mind. A plan to find out if her heart had in fact betrayed her. A way to settle her burning question once and for all.

She grabbed some black material and a pencil as she ran back over to her table, and flipped the switch on the sewing machine.

She had a new mask to make.

 

VALENTINE’S DAY

 

Adrien didn’t get out of bed until four. Even then, it was only because Plagg refused to let him stay there any longer.

“You can’t mope forever!” The kwami had whined as he pulled on Adrien’s hair. “You have a party to go to!”

“What time is it?” Adrien moaned, not opening his eyes.

“You have two hours left until you told Marinette you’d meet her at the party to pick up your mask. And you have to be ready by then. Let’s move!”

“Since when are you the responsible one?” Adrien grumbled as he swung his feet over the edge of the mattress.

“Since you got so sad you stopped bringing me cheese.”

“Plagg, it’s only been a day.”

“Exactly! Who knows how much longer I can survive!”

Adrien shot him a dirty look. “Is cheese your only motivation in life?”

“Pretty much.”

He only huffed in response as he trudged to the bathroom.

His reflection made him recoil. He looked horrible. His hair was sticking every which way, his skin was blotchy, and his eyes were incredibly red. That’s the result of a night full of crying, Adrien mused as he fetched his makeup bag from under the counter.

One fresh coat of foundation, concealer, and powder later, Adrien emerged from the bathroom looking ready to take on the world.

Looks are definitely deceiving.

His every move was filled with melancholy, from geling down his hair to putting on his black button down and white suit. His usual pleasure in getting ready was missing.

Ladybug had stolen it from him.

Yet he found it impossible to be mad at her. That may have been the most infuriating part of all of this. No matter how much he replayed the events in his mind, he couldn’t find it in his heart to be angry at her. Any normal person would be, he knew. He had every right to be furious with her. She had snapped him in half. Yet here he was, slowly pulling himself back together, all the while wishing she was there next to him.

The clock read five thirty by the time he was finally ready to go. He gave himself one last look in the mirror before heading back to his closet. Carefully, he pulled out the hat box, and lifted the mask from inside.

He had made the mask for Mari himself. It wasn’t the prettiest thing in the world, but it was certainly better than what she had designed for herself.

He remembered how good she had looked in red that day at her house, and had opted for a simple cut red mask, covered in delicate black lace and trimmed with black edging. His fingers were still red from pricking himself with a needle countless times.

It would be worth it to see her nose wrinkle when she smiles.

Slowly, he pulled out an all too familiar necklace with a cracked ladybug charm from the same hatbox. Both of his worlds were in his hands. In one hand, the necklace intended for Ladybug, the bold, beautiful girl who had stolen his heart, and in the other, the elegant mask for gentle and quiet Marinette, the girl who had picked up the pieces that Ladybug had left behind.

The realization took him by surprise. As he stood in the middle of his large and lonesome room, he realized what a fool he was. He had fallen for Marinette. Without either of them realizing it, her soft smiles and little giggles had drawn him in.

What kind of idiot fell for two different people?

Now, not only was he a man of a thousand shattered pieces, his pieces were scattered both east and west.

___

Adrien had been waiting in the ballroom for nearly twenty minutes.

Guests were beginning to trickle in, and Nino was beginning to play some upbeat music, yet there was no Marinette in sight.

“Alya,” he caught her arm as she walked past. “Where’s Mari?”

“Oh, right!” The junior reporter snapped her fingers. “I forgot to tell you. She’s waiting out back.”

“Out back? In the alley?”

“Yeah, she asked me to tell you to meet her out there.” Alya grinned as she quirked a brow. “Have fun, Lover Boy, but not too much fun.”

Adrien’s cheeks grew hot immediately. “I, what, I would never-”  He sputtered.

“Yeah, yeah,” Alya called over her shoulder as she walked away, “just don’t keep her waiting any longer!”

He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he jogged through to the back of the ballroom. He opened the door to the crisp night air, and stepped out into the alley, the door clicking shut behind him.

“H-hey, Adrien.”

He turned a bit to see Marinette stepping towards him. In the light of the setting sun, she looked like an angel.

She wore a long sleeve red and black ballgown. The sleeves became a bit wider around her wrists, and they fluttered gently when she moved. She had to hold her long skirt up a bit when she walked. The dress was red along the sleeves and most of the skirt, and had a section of black along the center from the top of her chest to the hem of the skirt. The red was covered in black lace, which crept up past the edge of her neckline, ending around her throat. Her hair was down, and it flowed in and around her face like a dark waterfall, stark against her pale skin.

“Marinette,” he said her name as if it was magic, and it sent shivers down her spine. “You look beautiful.”

“Th-thank you.” Every step closer to him she took, she seemed to grow a bit tenser, until she was stopped right in front of him, and her anxiety was palpable. “Adrien,” his name sounded soft and gentle coming from her lips. “Do you trust me?”

Her question took him aback. “Do I what?”

“Do you trust me.” She took a deep breath. “I need you to trust me for a second, okay?”

He nodded slowly, his heart beginning to rise into his throat.

“Close your eyes.”

“Mari, I-”

“Adrien.” Her voice had a power to it he had never heard from her before. “I need you to close your eyes.”

He complied. As soon as his eyes were shut, he felt something settle onto his face, and her fingers tickled the nape of his neck, trying something there. Carefully, she ran her fingers through his hair, pulling out strands and relocating others. As she did this, her breath was gentle and chilly on his face, and her touch set his head abuzz.

“Alright,” she said as she stepped back, “open your eyes.”

His eyelids fluttered open to see her nodding her head up and down and looking him over, stoney faced.

“Marinette?” His voice was shaking a bit. “What did you do?”

“I should’ve known sooner,” her blue eyes met him with a piercing gaze, “Chat Noir.”

Adrien felt all of the blood drain from his face as his knees buckled underneath him. Marinette lunged forward to keep him from falling as he reached up to rip the mask of his face.

It was a perfect replica of his Chat Noir mask.

His secret was out.

“How did you-”

“Hush, now, kitty. Stop panicking. It’ll be alright.”

“Mari, you can’t know this, it’s not safe-”

“Chat.” Her voice was firm once again. “I promise, everything is fine.” She grinned at him. “Close your eyes.”

“Mari, please-”

“Adrien.” Her voice became softer. “Chat Noir. I need you to trust me.”

He slowly closed his eyes, his hands shaking.

“Open them.”

When he opened his words, the very air was sucked out of his lungs. There, before him stood his lady, his princess.

His Ladybug.

“It’s me, Chat.” She reached forward and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “I’m here.”

Adrien looked her over once more. She had changed nothing about her appearance but putting on the Ladybug mask, but once she did, the answer was as clear as day.

Why she was so nervous around Adrien, but not Chat Noir. Why she was so busy all the time. Why she always disappeared during akuma attack.

Why she looked so good in red and black.

“Ladybug.” his voice cracked, and his throat was thick with tears. “I don’t...yesterday, you...you left me alone.”

“I know,” her eyes began filling up as well, “I’m so sorry, kitty. I will never do that to you again.”

“Why?” He whispered. “Why would you do that to me?”

“I didn’t know what I wanted,” she said softly. “I had somehow managed to fall head over heels for Chat Noir while being utterly in love with Adrien Agreste.” His eyes widened in shock at her words.

“You...you love me?”

“Hopelessly, hopelessly in love with you.”

Adrien’s heart leapt for joy. “You love me.” He repeated, awe in his voice.

“Yes. I love you, Adrien.” She stepped closer to him and rested her hand on his cheek, her thumb tracing the edge of his mask. “And I love you, Chat Noir.”

He yearmed to lean forward, to close the small gap between them and meet her lips with his, but Marinette ducked her head away, blushing.

She was so damn cute when she blushed.

“Speaking of Chat Noir, we can’t have you wearing a mask that so clearly gives away your identity, now can we?” She reached into the pocket of her dress, and came out with a finished version mask she had originally planned for him. “Tada.” Her hand shook with small spirit fingers as she pressed it into his hands.

“Thank you, Marinette.” He met her eyes, Ladybugs eyes, as he tied it on. “Oh! That reminds me.” He shot her a patented Chat Noir grin as he reached into his pants pockets. “I believe both of these belong to you.”

She gasped as she ran her finger along the edge of the mask. “Adrien!” Her smile overtook her whole face. “Did you make this for me?”

“Only the best for my lady.” He winked, and was rewarded with her tinkling laugh.

She bit her lip a bit as she looked at the necklace. “Who knew I’d end up receiving this?”

Adrien stepped closer to her, his palm outstretched. “May I?”

She pressed the necklace into his hand, and he came behind her. He swept her hair off of the back of her neck, and fastened the chain. Smoothly, he took her chin in his hand, and turned her so he could see how it looked. “Beautiful.”

“It’s cracked.”

Adrien simply shook his head. “I didn’t say perfect, princess, I said beautiful. Besides,” he set his hands on her waist, “I like it better that way. It’s a little damaged, just like us.”

Slowly, he drew nearer to her, his lips parting, until his hands found her waist and her chest was pressed against his.

“Adrien,” she whispered against his cheek, “do you want this? Are you disappointed that Ladybug is….well…. just me?”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” his said her name with reverence, “I am so glad that you are my Ladybug.”

“I’m glad you’re kitty cat.” He could feel her smile against his face. “I can’t wait to spend every meowment with you, kitty.”

He laughed as he pulled away from her. “Way to kill the mood.”

She rolled her eyes. “As if you’re one to talk.”

“Hey!” Alya’s voice pulled their gaze from each other’s eyes, and they looked over to see her head peeking out of the door into the alley. “These pastries aren’t gonna eat themselves! And Chloé just showed up in the tackiest dress I’ve ever seen in my life, you gotta check it out!”

“Coming!” Marinette yelled back. She turned back to her kitty, her model, her partner. “You ready for this?”

“I’m ready to do anything, as long as I can do it with you, my lady.”

“That was smooth.”

“I have been told that I have the  _ purrfect _ touch with the ladies.”

Her laughter rang up into the night sky and warmed his very bones.

**Author's Note:**

> Come chat with me on my tumblr! 
> 
> saltymermaid.tumblr.com


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